Feel free to soak farro hours before cooking. It will speed up the cooking process. I have researched other farro recipes, many say farro cooks in 20 minutes. I am not sure if they have a fast cooking farro or what, but every time I cook farro it takes 45-hour. Drain farro from the water it was soaking in and place into a saucepan. Cover in water to the top, add a sprinkle of salt and a bay leaf. Bring to a boil and cover, turn down heat to medium and simmer. Cook until tender about 45 minutes, check on it through out the process, add more water if needed.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice acorn squash in half, remove any seeds and guts. Slice into quarter of an inch slices and place on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and a drizzle of vegetable oil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake until tender and lightly browned about 30-45 minutes. Wash a bunch of mustard greens and tear into bite size pieces. Place into a large bowl. When farro is done, drain and allow to cool slightly. Not completely because you want to put the warm farro in with the mustard greens to wilt them.

For the dressing take the juice of lemon and whisk in olive oil. I do a half acid, half oil ratio with this. Only because you want the citrus to have a chance in competing with the richness of the farro and the greens. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Add dressing to farro and mustard greens, toss well. Taste and adjust to preference. Serve farro salad with the roasted acorn squash, feta cheese and toasted walnuts on top. Nom!

Hi Nicole and greetings from California. We have a chill in the air but nothing like the frigid winter of NY. I am visiting your blog (I also write a food blog but mine is more about my musings on life using my love of food as the vehicle).First I want to compliment you on your fotos. You receive many I am sure but they deserve that and more. Crisp, clear and excellent use if the natural lighting. You live in a great location and your rich history of travel weaves a wonderful backdrop to your posts. You do a marvelous job of sharing La Vida Buena!

Farro salad: made, devoured...divine. The sweetness of the baked acorn squash complemented by the lemon and olive oil, the creamy feta balancing the spice of the mustard greens and the farro and walnuts adding crunch and texture...couldn't have been better. Seems to be a Northwest dish at it's best! Seattle-esque in it's ingredients, perfectly nurturing for an evening of welcomed warmth, wine and your winning recipe! Picture perfect as well! Thank you

Super gorgeous. I have a huge crush on squash -- love how sweet and caramelized they get in the oven. I saw your picture and could totally taste it, the soft chew from the farro, the bitterness from the mustard greens. Love everything about it. Happy holidays to you! :-)

I am new to your blog but a very experienced cook and I made this recipe last night, the first one I've ever made from you. I have to say, I was so let down and I want to comment so others don't make the same mistake! This recipe has much potential but falls short the way it is written. The mustard greens are WAY too strong here; I think kale or chard would be better. The dressing doesn't work with the other flavors and is totally overpowering. The squash is too thin if you follow the 1/4 inch directions; 1/2 inch-3/4 inch would work better I think. Otherwise, when you try to move the squash off the sheet pan, it just falls apart. You offer no steps or amount for the walnuts, so I just toasted some up and added at the end, but offering an amount suggestion would help readers understand the balance of flavors we're shooting for here. I know everything is "to taste" but some suggestions would help for the first time you make this. Also, the squash/farro ratio is off; I think 1 cup of farro is plenty, certainly no more than 1.5 cups per acorn squash used.

I hate to be a negative nancy here but I dirtied a lot of dishes and spent a lot of weeknight time making this only to be totally letdown.

Thanks for your feedback, I don't claim to be Bon Appetit over here. Sorry it didn't turn out for you and that I wasted your time and money. I sadly don't work out a test kitchen so recipes may not be up to par. Apologies again.